Saif bin Zayed receives 100 talented students

ABU DHABI, H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, has received 100 talented graduates of the "MAWHIBATNA 2018 and Spring 2019" initiative launched by Sandooq Al Watan, (Arabic for Nation's Fund) in conjunction with its five-year plan for 2019-2024.

The Innovative education programme aims to support talented students and advanced scientific performance.

Sheikh Saif congratulated the talented students on their academic excellence, urging them to make more efforts to maintain their achievements and enhance their contributions for their homeland.

Since its launch, the MAWHIBATNA (Arabic for our talent) initiative has achieved many successes and achievements among the students with scientific talent and abilities. The students aged 11-14 years achieved scientific results and raised their degrees in the university level exams, making the initiative one of the most successful educational programmes in the UAE.

Sandooq Al Watan, in cooperation with a number of institutions and institutions, worked to ensure the success of this pioneering initiative, which strengthens the value of science and work in society and constitutes the true nucleus of an innovative generation aware of national and international challenges.

The two-week summer programme was held at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talents and Youth, where four courses were taught, including engineering design, aeronautics, cryptography and mathematics. It also included an industry challenge for 4 months under the supervision of universities and industry partners.

In its second year, the initiative targets students from the sixth to eleventh grades in public and private schools through a series of tests according to accepted criteria in a number of vital areas, including mathematics and the sciences of the future.

This year's initiative will lead to another qualitative phase of the discovery of talented students and the enhancement of their scientific skills through the contribution of Al Watan Fund to the discovery of 2,000 talented students by the end of 2020.

Mohammed Al Qadi, General Manager of Sandooq Al Watan, said: "In its second year, the initiative plans to make a qualitative leap in the discovery and training of talented students by emphasising the discovery and rehabilitation of talented students at a young age and putting them on the right path. "We are confident that our leadership will support our efforts by continuously encouraging us and eliminating all avenues for the success of our goals to move the UAE to advanced science applications to meet the challenge. National and global sustainable development achieved by the sons of the homeland. "

The gifted students are selected through several criteria, starting with the testing of 5,000 students by the end of 2020.

The initiative will also provide specialised programmes during the spring, winter and summer for talented students who will study scientific material beyond their age to learn about the latest technologies such as AI, Blockchain and Robotics, develop their skills to meet the challenges of the 21st century, as well as develop their entrepreneurial abilities.

The Initiative also provides vocational guidance for students to ensure their access to the best universities and pursue areas that can achieve success and excellence.

The initiative will pay special attention to instilling values of tolerance in students and promoting co-existence with various cultures, religions and customs that the UAE is proud to embrace, enabling students to understand globalisation in its comprehensive sense.

The initiative will not only train students, but will also extend scholarships to the students' partners. In turn, the fund will provide research funding to students as soon as they enter universities.